New Year, New Ways
by MuchoSugar
Summary: *REPOSTED & FINISHED* Harry and the gang are in their 7th year, and two of them have feelings for one another that are stronger than friendship. *Hint, this is a H/Hr romance!* The gang has to handle love, heartbreak, laughs, and good-byes.
1. A New Year

Title: New Year, New Ways  
  
Disclaimers: I own nothing except a new character. The rest belongs to the very brilliant J.K. Rowling.   
  
A.N. Ok, this is reposted.  
  
CHAPTER ONE  
  
A New Year  
  
Harry Potter stood beside Platform 9 3/4 on September 1st, waiting faithfully for his best friend Hermione. Ron was already on the train, situating his luggage, and stuffing Harry's somewhere.   
  
Harry saw Hermione turn the corner and kiss her mother good-bye. He took a deep breath and attempted to actually mess up his hair even more. He realized that he was acting like his father and stopped.   
  
"Harry!" Hermione exclaimed. She dropped her luggage and ran towards him, hugging him with all her might. Harry hugged her tightly, for some reason not wanting to let her go. When he did let her go, she hurried to get her luggage and joined him back at the platform.   
  
"It took you forever to get here. I mean I've been waiting for over a half an hour, and-"  
  
"Oh that's so sweet, you waited for me," She said jokingly. Harry felt like smacking himself in the face. He once again rumpled his hair, and then stopped himself. He really needed to stop rumpling his hair like that.  
  
"So, how was Spain?" asked Harry. Hermione got a look of disgust on her face.  
  
"Terrible." She said. "I got a sunburn do bad that I had to wait two weeks before going outside again."  
  
"You don't look sun burnt to me." Harry replied.  
  
"Believe me, I am..." She said, rubbing her bottom. Harry chuckled.   
  
"Well, let's get on he train." Said Harry. He voluntarily took her luggage for her and she made her way for the platform. She walked in front of him, and he then realized she was already wearing the skirt for her uniform. 'Too bad it's down to her knees...' he thought to himself. Wait a minute...was he checking out his best friend's ass? He shook the thought and raced into the platform right behind Hermione. They joined Ron on the train about five minutes later.   
  
"Finally!" he exclaimed. "Seemed like I was waiting forever!"  
  
"Well, we had some catching up to do," Said Hermione, plopping down in the seat across from Ron. Harry sat down by the window.  
  
"Ah, I see. Catch up, did you?" Ron said, staring obviously at Harry. Harry rose and eyebrow at him and shook his head in confusion. "How was Spain, then?" Harry and Hermione looked at each other then laughed. "Did I miss something?"   
  
"You missed nothing! It was terrible. I got so sun burnt that I can barely sit without discomfort." She said. Harry laughed with her, though Ron seemed not to understand. He laughed anyway. "I'll be right back." Said Hermione, standing up.  
  
"Where are you going?" asked Ron  
  
"To the bathroom, Ron." Se replied, patting his head.   
  
"Have fun." Said Harry, without having a clue why.  
  
"I beg your pardon?"  
  
"I don't know. Just go to the bathroom. Ignore me." He replied. She walked out of the compartment with a confused and rather disgusted look on her face.  
  
"Good job." Said Ron. Harry groaned. "You're making it too obvious, Mate."   
  
"What am I making too obvious?"  
  
"Oh, come on. I'm your best friend, you can admit it to me."   
  
"Admit what, Ron?"   
  
"That you've got it bad for our best friend. Don't try to deny it."  
  
"Ugh! Oh please..."  
  
"You do! You want her SO bad. Come on, just say it, you want her."  
  
"Shut up, Ron!"  
  
"Just say it!"  
  
"No!"  
  
"Why? Why won't you admit it?"  
  
"Why should I? It would only make you happy. And we all know what that can do."  
  
"Oh come on, you're still not on about our fifth year?"  
  
"I've seen you overly happy before, and it's not pretty."  
  
"Just admit it Harry, come on!" just then, Hermione walked back into the compartment. "Have fun?" said Ron. Harry rolled his eyes. Hermione glared at Ron. If looks could kill, Ron would've been dead and six feet under the tracks.  
  
Hermione sat down closer to the wall than she had been before. Harry looked at her side profile and thought about what Ron had said. But Harry didn't REALLY feel like that, did he? Harry didn't know, but Hermione was beautiful, he had to give her that. Even if she was stubborn.   
  
"You two should change into your uniforms. You know, like I was doing in the bathroom." She was pissed.   
  
"Good idea." Said Harry quickly. He grabbed his uniform out of his trunk and raced to the bathroom. He changed quickly and came back. He saw the 'Head Girl' badge on Hermione's vest and wondered who the Head Boy of Hogwarts was.   
  
"Hermione?" he said cautiously.   
  
"Malfoy." She replied.  
  
"What?"  
  
"Malfoy is Head Boy."   
  
"How did you know-"  
  
"I know when someone is staring at my chest, Harry."  
  
"But I wasn't-"  
  
"Oh, look!" said Ron. "Hogwarts. This is our last year here. Can you believe it?"   
  
"No." replied Harry. He got that dazed look on his face like he always did when he saw Hogwarts. Hermione looked at his face and suddenly realized how cute her best friend was. She had felt this way since she was fourteen, and now felt bad about snapping at him.   
  
The three friends stepped off of the train together and looked up at the castle. This was the last first day back they would have here. It almost made them sad to think that come June, they would all be off on their own.  
  
They rode along in the carriage pulled by the horses that only a select few could see, and talked about how fast the years had passed. The carriage suddenly came to a halt and the door flew open. Draco Malfoy stood outside the door with a rather disgusted look on his face.  
  
"Head Boy and Girl have to ride together." He said simply to Hermione. She got the same look on her face and climbed out of the carriage.   
  
All the carriages stopped just outside the castle and the students second year and up made their way for the Great Hall. Harry could see the small boats out on the lake and the large form of Hagrid. He smiled at the thought of seeing Hagrid again.   
  
They took their seats at the Gryffindor table and were soon joined by Hermione, who had an even more disgusted look on her face than before.   
  
"What happened?" asked Ron. Hermione took a deep breath.  
  
"He came on to me!"  
  
"What?!" exclaimed Harry.  
  
"That pig of a wizard came on to me!"  
  
"No!" He replied.  
  
"Yes!"  
  
"Shhh!" hissed Ginny. "The sorting is starting." The Hat sang its song and Professor McGonagall set the three-legged stool upon the stage. She began to read off the list, which was surprisingly short this year. Only twenty-six new students. The final eleven-year-old, who was named, "Zaborski" was sorted into Ravenclaw. Then Dumbledor stood up to make his speech.   
  
"Welcome, first years! And welcome back to those of you who have returned. Start of term announcements are briefly these; Head Boy this year is Draco Malfoy of Slytherin. (Applause from Slytherin table.) And Head Girl is Hermione Granger of Gryffindor. (Applause from Gryffindor.) Note to first year students that the Dark Forest is strictly forbidden. And we would like to welcome back Delores Umbridge as our Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher."  
  
"What?!" shouted Hermione. The entire hall turned to look at her.  
  
"He's not serious." Muttered Ron. But, alas, there was a rather short and stout toad-ish looking woman with a large pink bow in her hair sitting up at the staff table.  
  
"He is." Replied Harry.  
  
"Anyway..." said Dumbledor. "We have one more student to be sorted. She is from America, and she is sixteen years old. We are the only school that could actually pick up her magical vibes, and that was not until the middle of last year. And now, students, here is Astrid Cooke."   
  
"Astrid...what a dorky name." Said Ron. "She probably has a crooked nose."  
  
"Ron!" exclaimed Hermione. "Astrid is not a dorky name, its elegant. And who the hell cares if she had a crooked nose?" but Ron didn't answer. He was almost drooling. There was nothing crooked about that girl. Even her blonde hair was perfectly strait, as were her pearly whit teeth. She was curvy, but not crooked. Every guy's jaw in the Great Hall dropped, including Harry's. She was beautiful. Every male in the room (well, every male seventeen and under) wanted her to be sorted into their house.   
  
Astrid sat down on the stool and placed the hat on her head. It seemed to take forever, but the Hat finally called out, "GRYFFINDOR!" and whistles and cheers greeted Astrid. Her deep blue eyes scanned the table, and then she chose a spot between Hermione and Ginny. The boys on either side of them scooted closer to where she sat.  
  
"God damn it, do you mind?!" exclaimed Ginny. They all scooted off slightly. "Thank you. Hi, I'm Ginny Weasley." She said, sticking out her hand. "I'm in sixth year, too." Astrid smiled and shook her hand.   
  
"And I'm Hermione Granger." Astrid smiled at her and shook her hand as well. "I think my friends can introduce themselves." Harry snapped out of his daze and stuck out his hand.  
  
"I'm Harry Potter." He didn't know if she knew who he was. And apparently she didn't, either that or she was really good a holding in excitement.  
  
"Nice to meet you all." She said, and then her gaze fell upon Ron. "And what is your name?" Ron didn't say anything. A droplet of drool slipped out of his mouth and hit the table. Astrid laughed, and that snapped him back.  
  
"I'm Ron Weasley, Ginny's sister-I mean brother." He said quickly. Harry, Hermione, and Ginny all laughed at that. Astrid didn't even smile; she just shook his hand and stared at him. They ate their feast, and then headed up to their dormitory. Hermione walked alongside of Astrid, and Ron and Harry walked a couple paces ahead of them.  
  
"So, are you and Harry involved?" asked Astrid.   
  
"Me and Harry? No, no way. Why do you ask?"  
  
"Well, it's just the way that you look at him. Are you sweet on him, then?"  
  
"Well, uh...you see..."  
  
"I understand. He's pretty good looking. But that Ron character...now he's a charming one." Hermione rose and eyebrow at that one.  
  
"Ron? I never really thought of him as charming, but now that you mention it..."  
  
"He has a nice walk." Said Astrid, cocking her head to the side slightly.  
  
"Ok, we're talking about my best friend here, I'm getting mental images that need not to be seen in the mind of his best friend..." Astrid nodded in agreement. Ginny joined the two, and then showed her up to the sixth year girls' dorm when they reached the common room.   
  
Harry and Ron were seated on a couch in front of the fireplace. Hermione plopped down in between them and sighed.  
  
"I swear," she said.  
  
"What?" said Ron.  
  
"You guys look at her like she's a chicken wing."  
  
"I don't like chicken wings." Retorted Harry.  
  
"Well, you look at her like you've never seen a pretty girl before."  
  
"We've seen plenty of pretty girls." Said Ron.  
  
"Name a few." She replied.  
  
"Fleur Delacour." Said Ron.  
  
"Oh God." Said Hermione.  
  
"Cho Chang." Harry pointed out.  
  
"That girl was a jealous little prat."  
  
"True..."  
  
"The Patils." Said Ron.  
  
"Please..."  
  
"You..." said Harry. Ron snorted and Hermione snapped around to look at him. "Are so silly, Ron. Honestly, the Patils..." Hermione shook off what she had just heard and stood up from the couch. She said her goodnights to them and ran up the stairs to her new 'Head Girl' dormitory.  
  
She changed into her pajamas and climbed into her bed. She turned off the lights, but couldn't get to sleep for at least an hour.  
  
When she finally did fall asleep, she dreamt of Harry. 


	2. She Thinks You're Charming

CHAPTER TWO  
  
She Thinks You're Charming  
  
The next day was a Sunday, so all of the students got a day to get situated. It only took Hermione fifteen minutes to unpack all of her things; Harry and Ron didn't take much longer. The three met down in the common room when they were all finished.  
  
"Ron, I forgot to tell you something last night." Said Hermione with a twinkle in her eye.  
  
"What?" asked Ron, squinting at her.  
  
"It's about Astrid," she said. "She thinks your charming." She said this with a mocking tone. Ron's eyes widened, and his jaw dropped.   
  
"Really? I mean...she actually...wow." he said. He sounded as if he were about to lose his breath. Hermione smiled, then she thought of Harry. She looked up at him, but he was staring at his shoes.  
  
"You liked her too, didn't you Harry?" said Hermione in a joking tone of voice.  
  
"No." Ron replied.  
  
"I was asking Harry."  
  
"She's nice, but I have my sights set higher." Said Harry.  
  
"Yeah, about 5'8..." said Ron. Harry glared at Ron. Hermione was 5'8. Hermione realized this comment, but chose to ignore it. The three then decided to go to lunch, and who should be there but Astrid. Ron stopped in his tracks, but took a deep breath and walked up to her. Hermione took a quick glance at Harry, but he just shrugged his shoulders.  
  
"Hi," said Ron, sitting down next to her. Harry and Hermione took this as a hint to move down a few seats, but still in earshot.  
  
"Hello." Replied Astrid, with a dreamy glint in her eye. She really had it for Ron.  
  
"So...I hear...from someone-no one you know...well, maybe you do, but-"  
  
"Are you ok?" she asked him. Hermione was trying to hold back the fit of giggles that was taking her over.  
  
"I'm fine. What I wanted to ask you was-um-will you..."  
  
"Yes!" she shouted. People only stared for a few seconds, then went back to what they were doing.  
  
"How'd you know what I was gonna'-"   
  
"I just knew." She said.   
  
"Score." Whispered Harry in Hermione's ear. Hermione smiled, and ate her lunch.  
  
A.N./// Short chapter, I know. The next one will be longer! Promise! Oh, and thanks to all the people that reviewed the story, I'm glad you liked it!  
  
-MuchoSugar 


	3. The Dream

CHAPTER THREE  
  
The Dream  
  
Hermione was exhausted again, so she went up to bed early. She slipped into her pajamas, and under the covers. She fell asleep almost as soon as her head touched the pillow.  
  
Hermione was in the kitchen reading a book when Viktor came in. She looked up and smiled at him, but he didn't smile back. He looked murderous, in fact. Hermione had never seen him like this, and didn't want to.  
  
"Viktor?" she asked, with great caution.  
  
"I saw your notebook." He practically growled at her. She knew immediately what he was talking about.  
  
"Oh..." Was all she could say.  
  
"I saw what you wrote in it. Five pages with his name on it, all covered from front to back..." he said, in his strong Bulgarian accent. Hermione felt tears stinging in her eyes as she stood up.  
  
"Viktor, those are from years ago. I-"  
  
"You dated the pages! You wrote that last week!" Viktor shouted, taking a step towards her. Hermione backed up into the counter; there was no way out.  
  
"I'm sorry..." was all she could muster. He let out a long sigh, and then looked at her with an eerie twinkle in his eye. She lifted her hand to touch his face, but he grabbed it. She lifted her other hand to loosen his hold on her arm, but he grabbed that hand as well. He pushed himself up against her, making it hard for her to breathe. "What are you doing?" she asked, her voice shaking. Viktor didn't reply, but leaned in and kissed her. Hermione tried to push him away, but his twenty-year-old muscles were to strong for her to do anything.   
  
Her mind was racing as he threw her to the floor. What was he going to do? Hermione had a pretty good idea, but tried to push the thought out of her mind. Then he did what she least wanted him to do; He raped her. Viktor Krum raped Hermione 'Bookworm' Granger.   
  
"Stop!" she shouted.  
  
"No one can hear you." he said back. Hermione took his climax to her advantage and ran up the stairs to get her things. She couldn't believe it... all because of a stupid notebook? Then she heard him pounding on the door.  
  
"Hermione!" he yelled. "I'm sorry!"  
  
"What?! After all that-Sorry? No!" she screamed back. He then unlocked the door with a charm, and walked slowly into the room. Hermione just stared at him as he made his way across them room.  
  
"I'm so sorry, it won't happen again."  
  
"No, it won't." she said. "I'm going home."  
  
"No. Just-Just give me one more chance, please?" Viktor begged.  
  
"No!" she shouted.  
  
"Hermione, I'm sorry! What more can I say?"  
  
"That you'll let me go! Just let me go home!"  
  
"But I love you," he said.  
  
"Don't do that..."  
  
"I love you so much,"  
  
"Stop..."  
  
"I'll love you forever,"  
  
"Stop it!" she shouted. She was breaking down. She was falling victim to his evil ways.   
  
"Please?" he asked. Hermione just sobbed. She didn't know what to do. He was making her love him again. How did he do that so well?  
  
"I can't..."  
  
"Sure you can."  
  
"No. Not after what you did."  
  
"I didn't mean to do what I did. Please love me back. You'll love me for ever, right?" he asked her, taking her shaking hand in his. Damn him! He did it again!  
  
"Right." She said, smiling at him. What was she doing? She didn't know, she only knew that she would torment herself if she didn't do this.  
  
"Promise you'll love me forever?"  
  
"Promise." She said. What troubled her was that he didn't say he promised too, only said that he would.   
  
Hermione sat up in her bed and screamed. A dream... it was all a dream... But it was a dream about a true happening, and she knew that. It was haunting her now; tearing her up inside, like there was a flesh-eating slug inside of her, sucking away life from her once happy existence.  
  
" Are you ok?" asked a portrait on the wall.   
  
"I-I'm fine...bad dream is all..." she said, lying back on her pillow. That night, she came to the conclusion that she had to tell Harry and Ron. She couldn't shut it up inside her anymore, she had to let it free, and that's exactly what she did...when Viktor came.  
  
A.N.///Ooooo, cliffhanger! 


	4. Hermione's Visitor

CHAPTER FOUR  
  
Hermione's Visitor  
  
Hermione walked into the Great Hall to find that Harry and Ron were already there. She sat down across from them and filled her plate with scrambled eggs and sausage links. She wasn't all that hungry, but she had to make it seem like nothing was wrong. Astrid was of course sitting next to Ron, while Harry and he had a conversation about (what else?) Quidditch.   
  
"First game's comin' up soon, Mate. You should really start practicing." Said Ron through s mouthful of food. Harry was now the captain of the Quidditch team.   
  
"I know, I have to set a date with the team for the first one." He replied. He glanced up at Hermione only to see that she was staring at her food. "You all right, Hermione?"  
  
"Fine." She replied, still staring unblinkingly at her plate. Harry knew there was something wrong. He decided to ask her next time they were alone, though he didn't know when that might be. Ron noticed it too, and decided to talk to her alone as well. Maybe he'd have Harry talk to her as well. If they both asked, maybe she'd be more willing to answer. They looked at each other and nodded in an unspoken agreement.   
  
Their chance came after classes in the common room.   
  
"Hermione, are you ok?" asked Harry. That was the end for Hermione. She broke down and started blurting things out.  
  
"I didn't go to Spain last summer." She said.  
  
"Where'd you go?" asked Ron.  
  
"Bulgaria." Said Harry. Hermione looked at him with a look that asked, 'How did you know?'  
  
"Why didn't you tell us?" asked Ron.  
  
"Because you would've asked me what happened." She almost choked on the words. Worry was written on her friends' faces.  
  
"What'd he do to you?" asked Harry, a look of rage in his emerald eyes. Hermione hesitated in fear of him throwing something...like a chair...or a small person...  
  
"He...He..." she almost couldn't finish. Her whole body was shaking. "He found my notebook." Harry let out a sigh of relief.   
  
"I thought it was more than that." He said.  
  
"It is. I was about to tell you what he did after he found my notebook, and what was written in it..."  
  
"Did he hit you?" asked Ron.  
  
"No. He forced me...I-I couldn't do anything, I couldn't. It's like he went crazy," she sobbed.  
  
"What?!" shouted Harry; almost knocking over the chair he was sitting in.   
  
"He didn't!" Ron exclaimed. All Hermione could do was nod.  
  
"I'll kill him." Said Harry in an eerily calm voice.  
  
"Harry...no," she whimpered  
  
"I will. I'll kill him." He said, nodding. People around them were starting to stare.  
  
"Calm down."  
  
"No, you know what, I'll help you." Ron said to Harry. They were really serious about this. Hermione, not knowing what to do, went upstairs to her dorm. She sat on the floor by the fireplace and watched as the wood turned slowly to glowing ambers. She heard someone coming up behind her.  
  
"Hello." He said. She got to her feet.  
  
"What are you doing here?" she hissed. "How did you get here?"  
  
"I flew. I've come to tell you that...I've found someone else." He said. She raised her eyebrows as if she couldn't believe what she was hearing.  
  
"You...are leaving...me?" she asked in disbelief.  
  
"Hermione, please..."  
  
"After all you put me through..."  
  
"I'm sorry,"  
  
"Sorry won't work this time!" she shouted. "You made me promise to love you forever, and you're gonna' leave ME?!" she practically screamed at him. "You said-"  
  
"That's right, I said. But I didn't promise." He said. Hermione couldn't believe what was happening.   
  
"How could you? I was just some girl you had by your side! At least until you found another one of course! Then you did...what you did...and made me promise to love you forever, and now what do I get? NOTHING!" she yelled.  
  
"Hermione, people will hear you yell-"  
  
"LET THEM HEAR ME!" she screamed at him, smacking him in the face. He smacked her back. She looked at him with a horror stuck face. He grabbed her wrist, and twisted it behind her back, taking his other hand and clasping it over her mouth.  
  
"I didn't want to do this the hard way," he said. Hermione bit down as hard as she could on one of his fingers. He let go of her face, which gave her the chance to yell, "HELP ME! HARRY, RON-"  
  
Harry and Ron heard the commotion and attempted to run up the stairs. They of course turned into a slide as soon as the two stepped foot on them. So they took of their shoes and ran up the cement slide. They ran into Hermione's dorm just as Krum threw her to the floor. Harry ran and jumped on top of him and started punching him. Hermione scrambled to her feet as Ron ran to join Harry. Oh God, they really were going to kill him.  
  
"Harry, Ron, stop! Don't kill him! I wouldn't be able to bare what would happen to you two if...STOP IT!" she screamed at them. They got up, but Ron (who was a couple inches taller than Harry and taller by an inch than Krum) took hold of Krum's shirt collar and pushed him up against the wall. Viktor put up his arms to protect his face from another blow.  
  
"Don't you touch her again." Said Ron, letting him go. Viktor could barely hold himself up.  
  
"You leave, and you don't come back." Said Harry in a dead calm. "You ever come near Hermione again, and we'll tell everyone what you did. Tell anyone what we've done to you, we'll do the same thing." Viktor simply nodded. He climbed out of the window where a broom was waiting, and flew off. Hermione's whole body started shaking, tears streaming freely down her cheeks. She ran towards where Harry and Ron and embraced them both in a hug.  
  
"I love you guys." She said.  
  
"We love you too." The two said in unison.  
  
"I don't think Krum'll ever show his face around here again." Said Harry.  
  
"Not a chance." Ron replied. "In the mean time, let's go get some ice-packs from the hospital wing, my hand hurts like Hell."   
  
"Same here." Said Harry.  
  
"I need an ice-pack for my shoulder, I hit it on my trunk when-" she stopped. "When I fell." She finished. Harry nodded, and the three of them made their way, arm in arm, to the hospital wing.  
  
A.N.///You like? I hope so. I really got into this chapter for some reason, I wrote it really fast... Well, onto he next chapter I suppose...  
  
-MuchoSugar 


	5. The First Real Day

CHAPTER FIVE  
  
First Day  
  
The next day went rather smoothly. The teachers were their usual selves. McGonagall yelled at them for not having studied over the summer, Snape was a prick, Hagrid had an unusual and dangerous creature, Professor Sprout had an exotic plant for them, Professor Flitwick had new spells that no one understood, and Trelawney (who had returned as the Divination teacher the previous year) told Harry that he was going to die; The usual. Umbridge of course sneered at Harry, Ron and Hermione all class period.   
  
So nothing had changed, except for the fact that they got even MORE homework than usual. Harry and Hermione were the last people in the common room, seeing as to Ron gave up on his and went to sleep. Hermione kept on glancing up a Harry, but his eyes were transfixed on his paper. He was so cute when he didn't understand something. Every once in a while he would let out an exasperated sigh and rumple up his hair. "Hermione, can you help me with this?" he asked her, stretching his arms a little.  
  
"Sure, which problem on what paper?"  
  
"Forty, Charms." He explained, pointing at the problem on his paper. Hermione leaned over his chair to get a better look at the paper. The question was, "How would the Policticious Spell affect someone if the word Samtontious was added in front of it?" That was a difficult question, she herself had to search through the "S" section of four other books before she found the answer.  
  
"Well," she said. "What does Samtontious mean?"  
  
"Sponge?" he said sarcastically. Hermione punched him playfully in the arm. ("Be serious!") "Ok, ok. It means...Paper?"  
  
"Very good! Now, what other famous, but also illegal, potion starts the letters 'P-O-L'" she asked. Harry thought a minute, and then said, "The Pollyjuice Potion!"   
  
"Excellent! Now, put those two together, and what do you get?"  
  
"Turning someone into a piece of paper..."  
  
"Close," she said with a chuckle. "What's paper made out of?"  
  
"Trees! So I can turn someone into...a tree?" he asked, obviously still confused (and thinking that he couldn't really find a reason to turn someone into a tree).  
  
"Sort of. What peels off of trees?"  
  
"Tree bark."  
  
"Yes."  
  
"So the answer is...C?" he said.  
  
"Good job!" she exclaimed.  
  
"Yes, I am brilliant." He said, putting on a mock-egotistic jerk look. Hermione giggled a little, then stopped when his eyes met hers. 'What are you doing?' she thought.  
  
"Thanks again, for last night, Harry." She said to him.  
  
"I couldn't let him hurt you again. No one deserves that; Especially not you." He said, taking her hand in his. Hermione could've stayed just like that forever. They stared into each other's eyes, not moving a muscle. Then Harry leaned in and kissed her gently.   
  
"This is crazy." She whispered when they broke apart.  
  
"Who cares?" he asked her. Hermione had no answer other than, "Not me." So she decided to act rather than speak. She leaned in and kissed him more passionately. She closed her eyes and let him slip his tongue in. When they broke apart this time, Harry said, "That was nice."   
  
"Yeah." She replied, kissing him again. Harry got up from his chair, not breaking the kiss, and rapped his arms around her waist. She put one hand behind his head, and the other on his neck, pulling him deeper into the kiss. What were they doing? Hermione didn't know, but this was the best kiss she had ever experienced, so she decided to keep it going.   
  
Harry, caught up in the moment, started un-tucking Hermione's shirt when she stopped him. "Harry, I'm not ready for that." She said to him.   
  
"I understand." He said, dropping his hands.  
  
"Really? You mean that?"  
  
"I won't make you do anything you don't want to do. I can wait." He said.  
  
"Thanks." She said, kissing him once more. Then she went back to the table and sat down. "Oh, and Harry," she said. "You forgot to circle the C."  
  
A.N. The rating is going to definitely be R soon... 


	6. Oops

CHAPTER SIX  
  
Oops  
  
The next day, it seemed everyone knew about Harry and Hermione. No one said it to their faces, but they walked past them talking to each other in hushed voices. But they didn't care; they were content in their own little world. They took more and more time to be just with each other. They still did things with Ron, of course. But, just the same, they still spent time together.  
  
Late one night, they sat on the couch in front of the fire and were silent.   
  
"Harry," Hermione said to him.  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"I love you." She said, not really knowing what to expect in return.  
  
"I love you too." He said, kissing the top of her head gently. Hermione let out a sigh of relief and relaxed a little. Harry put his arm around her shoulder, and his other arm on the back of his neck.  
  
"Your neck feeling ok?" she asked him.  
  
"It's a little sore, that's all."  
  
"I'll rub it for you." She said, getting up from the couch and walking behind him. Harry was right; his neck was a little tight, maybe more than a little.  
  
"You under a lot of stress or something?" she asked him, rubbing his neck.  
  
"A little. My grades are kind of slipping." He replied, bending forward so that she could get at a better angle.   
  
"Why?"  
  
"No reason, just haven't been studying as well as I used to." He replied. "But I got number forty right on my Charms homework!" this made her laugh, so she forgot about the situation for the time being.  
  
Ron came down the stairs about ten minutes later, with a numb look about him.  
  
"Ron?" asked Harry, standing up from the couch.  
  
"Huh?" Ron said quietly, sitting down on the bottom step.  
  
"Are you ok?"  
  
"Not really."  
  
"What happened?" asked Hermione.  
  
"Everything." He replied.  
  
"What do you mean, 'Everything'?" asked Harry.  
  
"Me and Astrid...everything happened all at once...we didn't even think..." he babbled.   
  
"Oh Ron, you didn't-"  
  
"We did." He said, nodding his head slightly. Harry glanced up the stairs, to Ron and back again.   
  
"Is Astrid still up there?" he asked.  
  
"Yes, she is. I think she might be talking to-" then he looked up, a horrified look on his face. "Ginny! She'll blab everything to Mum!" he shouted, scrambling to his feet and running up the stairs. Hermione and Harry looked at each other for a second, then burst out laughing.  
  
"Ron's dead!" exclaimed Harry.  
  
"You think so? I was thinking more along the lines of; his children's children are grounded." She replied. Just then Ron ran down the stairs with Astrid at his heels. They stopped at the foot of the stairs and hesitated a moment.  
  
"Uh...we're going to...um," stuttered Ron.  
  
"The Quidditch pitch...Ron left something in his locker...I think." Said Astrid.  
  
"Yeah, locker." And with that they climbed out the portrait hole and into the corridor.  
  
"Why can't we do stuff like that?" asked Hermione.  
  
"What? You're the one that said she wasn't ready."  
  
"What about you? Are you ready?" she asked him.  
  
"Hermione, I'm a seventeen year old guy. I've been ready for four years." This made Hermione chuckle.   
  
"Are you sure?" she asked him.  
  
"Yeah...Let's go now!" he said, grabbing her hand.  
  
"Harry! Not NOW."  
  
"When?" he said, with a pout.  
  
"It's a surprise." She whispered in his ear. With that, she ran up the stairs to her dorm, leaving Harry alone in the common room. Then he smiled to himself. Had he just heard Hermione tell him that they could...yeah, she did.   
  
"It's a surprise." Rang in his ears over and over again. 


	7. What's That You Say?

CHAPTER SEVEN  
  
What's That You Say?  
  
It was time for breakfast, So Harry, Hermione, Ron, and Astrid walked down to the Great Hall together. The four of them sat down and waited for Dumbledor to make his morning announcements.   
  
"In light of many students bothering me about it, the faculty and I have decided to have another dance. We had a BALL three years ago, by the way. Not a DANCE. But, just the same, we're having a dance in honor of our seventh years graduating in June.   
  
Seventh years only are permitted, but if they wish to invite a younger student, that's accepted as well. It won't be formal, and you can leave your hair UP if you wish. Mind you there will be chaperones there, so if they catch anyone doing something not allowed in the school, you will be removed from the Great Hall for the remainder of the evening. The dance will be held on Saturday from 6:30 pm to 12:30 am. On with your breakfast." He said, sitting down.  
  
"That has to be the longest speech he's ever given since our first year," muttered Ron, taking a bite out of his sausage.   
  
"Definitely." Harry replied.  
  
"Wait, Dumbledor just said we were going to have a dance, and you two aren't excited?" asked Hermione.  
  
"Well, last time we had to find dates." Said Ron.  
  
"Yeah, but now that we have you two, we don't need to panic." Said Harry.  
  
"Why are we panicking?!" shouted Ron the night of the dance.  
  
"Because we have nothing to wear!" Harry yelled back.  
  
"What happened to all our clothes?"  
  
"I don't know, we only have these STUPID gray things."  
  
"Who took all our clothes?"  
  
"Did you check the laundry room?" asked Seamus.  
  
"No. That's probably where they are though." Muttered Harry, stepping out of the room to get the laundry. "Here they are." He said when he came back.  
  
"Good." Said Ron, grabbing his clothes. When they were finished getting dressed, all they needed to worry about was their hair... There was no hope for Harry's hair, so he just rumpled in up more. He really needed to stop doing that...  
  
"Ready?" asked Ron.  
  
"Ready." Replied Harry. The two walked down into the common room around 6:25. They only had to wait about another minute until the girls came down from their dormitories. Hermione was wearing denim bellbottoms and a white t-shirt shirt. Her hair was pulled up in a purposely-messy bun on the back of her head, leaving curly strands hanging down here and there. Astrid was wearing bellbottoms with a slit in the back of each leg and holes in the back pockets (on the pockets, not the whole back of the pants), with a light blue t-shirt with the words, "WILD CHILD" on it. Her almost elbow-length hair was in loosely braided pigtails.   
  
"We all ready?" asked Harry, taking Hermione's hand.  
  
"Yeah, we're ready." Replied Ron.  
  
"I was asking the girls."  
  
"Oh...right..." He said, turning a little red in the ears. "Let's go then?"  
  
"Good idea." Chuckled Astrid. The four walked down into the Great Hall and heard music that one out of the four had never heard before.  
  
"What is this?" Ron asked.  
  
"Muggle music." Replied Astrid.  
  
"Oh, that explains it..." he said. "It's actually pretty good...what language are they speaking?"  
  
"Ron, it's actually music. They're speaking English." Said Hermione, chuckling.   
  
"Oh, well..." Just then the song ended, and Dumbledor began to speak.  
  
"Well, that was the first song of the evening by...some white person, I don't know..."  
  
Half the room shouted his name while the others were looking just as confused as Ron.  
  
"Right, well, we're going to have a slow song now because my ears can't take any more of that crap you young people call music..." He said.  
  
"I wonder how they're getting the music." Said Hermione. The music seemed to be coming out of the air itself.  
  
"Who knows?" said Harry.  
  
"Who cares?" yelled Ron, dancing past with Astrid's arms around his neck. Harry laughed, and took Hermione's hand.  
  
"Shall we?" he asked in a mock-charming voice.   
  
"We shall." she replied, wrapping her arms around his neck. Harry looked down at her and stared deep into her eyes. She stared back into his with passion.   
  
"I love your eyes." She said to him.  
  
"Really," he replied. "As much as you love this?" he asked, leaning in and kissing her.   
  
"No, not QUITE as much." She said, resting her head on his shoulder as the song played on. When the song ended, Harry caught a glimpse of Ron and Astrid leaving.  
  
"Aye!" he shouted. "The dance has only been going on for about ten minutes!"  
  
"Well, we'll be back in about...fifteen minutes? Fifteen minutes!" Ron yelled back. With that, the two left the room.  
  
"I swear, that man'll have more children than his parents." Said Hermione, shaking her head.  
  
"How many will we have?" asked Harry.  
  
"Oh, only one or two." She replied.  
  
"Wanna go make some?" he whispered to her.  
  
"Now? Oh but Harry, we're only ten minutes into the dance." She replied in a mocking tone.  
  
"We'll only be gone for about...oh say, fifteen minutes?"  
  
"Not tonight. Like I said, 'it's a surprise.'" She replied, kissing his cheek. They danced and ate some food, and within about fifteen minutes, Ron and Astrid re-entered the Great Hall, a little out of breath.  
  
"Have fun?" asked Harry. Ron glared at him, which dismissed the subject.  
  
"Well," said Astrid. "What's for snacks?"  
  
After the dance ended, the four of them went back to the common room and said goodnight to each other. The boys went to their dorms, and the girls to theirs. This was the best fun they had had in a while, for Ron and Astrid especially. 


	8. Surprise, Surprise

CHAPTER EIGHT  
  
Surprise, Surprise  
  
It was late one night, around 12:30 AM, Harry walked into the Gryffindor locker room after a long solo practice. He was now the captain of the team, and always practiced later than the rest.   
  
Harry hung his garments in his locker, grabbed a towel, and headed for the showers. Even though he hated those shower rooms, he wanted to look fresh just in case Hermione was in the common room when he got back.  
  
He hung the towel up on a rack and turned on the hot water. He stood back and waited for it to become warm enough. He stepped halfway under the shower head and watched some dirt go down the drain. Harry stepped back and put his glasses on a shelf by the towel rack.  
  
It was about three minutes into his shower that he heard the door to the locker room open then close. He thought it was just another Quidditch player who forgot something in their locker, so he continued to shower. He heard a locker open and, and after a while, close again. But he didn't hear the locker room door open, so it was then that he turned around, only to see the blurry form of someone standing in the door of the shower room, watching him.  
  
"Whose there?" he asked. The person didn't answer, but advanced towards him. "I said, 'whose there?'" he repeated. As the person got closer, he realized it was a female, and not some perverted guy watching him. But he still felt uncomfortable, unless of course...  
  
"Surprise." whispered Hermione's voice in his ear. Harry let out a sigh of relief. It was only...HERMIONE?!  
  
"Hermione, what the Hell are you doing here?" he said.  
  
"I said I'd surprise you, didn't I? Well, are you surprised?"  
  
"Well, yeah, but-" Hermione cut him off by kissing him. Harry put his hands on her waist and wasn't too surprised to find her not wearing anything. This made Harry become quite aroused, which didn't go unnoticed by Hermione.  
  
"A little excited, are we?"   
  
"Just a little bit." He replied, leaning down and kissing her again. Harry backed up to get a good look at her. "You're so beautiful even when you're blurry." He whispered, kissing the spot between her neck and her shoulder. Hermione closed her eyes and took it all in. Harry had just washed his hair, so he smelled somewhat of rain. This is exactly how she always wanted to remember Harry.  
  
"Are you sure you want to do this?" he asked her.  
  
"Do you want me to say no?"  
  
"No, but-"  
  
"Do you want to do this?"  
  
"Of course."  
  
"Then be quiet and stop worrying. If I didn't want to do this, I wouldn't be here." She said, placing her hand gently on his cheek. Harry nodded, and let out a sigh.   
  
"I love you, and I never want to hurt you is all." He said.  
  
"I love you too." She replied, wrapping her arms around his neck, and pressing herself up against him. Harry couldn't take it anymore, he ravenously kissed her, slipping his tongue inside her mouth. Hermione let out a soft moan in surprise of his sudden aggressiveness, but she didn't stop him. She kissed him back, as a matter of fact. Things were getting steamy in the shower room (no pun intended).  
  
They broke apart, out of breath, and staring into each other's eyes deeply. They both wanted this, Harry could tell. Hermione simply nodded that it was time. Harry put his hands on her back and lowered her gently to the tile floor. He positioned himself over her, and was just about ready to get started, when Hermione said, "Oh, Harry, do you have any...protection." She said quietly, as if someone might hear her.  
  
"No." he said in a frustrated tone.  
  
"Oh, well, no worries. I know a spell," she said, getting up to grab her wand from the locker room. She returned about five seconds later, did the spell, and threw her wand aside, not wanting to go all the way back to the lockers. Harry smiled smugly as she made her way over to him.  
  
"Now, where were we?" she asked, lying back down on the floor.  
  
"I think we were right...here." He replied, repositioning himself over her. Now it was REALLY going to happen.  
  
Hermione locked her ankles around his waist for leverage, and they began. She let out a soft moan as he entered her, closing her eyes and laying her head back. Harry sighed and just sat there for a second.  
  
"Harry?" said Hermione. "Are you ok?"  
  
"I'm...I'm fine. It's just..." he hesitated a moment, but Hermione had and idea of what he was going to say. "I've never really done this before." He finished.  
  
"Well...I haven't REALLY either, not by choice anyway..." Harry nodded, which indicated that he understood. "Harry, it's fine."  
  
"I know, I'm just...basking in the moment." This made Hermione laugh, which loosened them both up a little bit. "Ok, are we gonna do this?" Hermione nodded. "Ok then." Harry pushed himself a little deeper in to Hermione, making her let out a soft moan. He pulled himself out and pushed back in, not with great force, just enough to get a rhythm started.   
  
And that's what happened. The two set up a rhythm, Harry kissing her every once in a while.   
  
Hermione's cries grew louder, until they were echoing off the walls of the shower room (they were lucky it was almost 1:00 in the morning, or someone might have heard).   
  
After a few more minutes, Harry wasn't with the rhythm anymore; he was on the edge, getting ready to let go. Hermione was on the edge as well, and buried her face in Harry's shoulder. They went for about another minute until they both collapsed. The two lay on the floor, both out of breath. Then Harry whispered, "That was great."  
  
"Yeah." Replied Hermione.   
  
After a few minutes, Harry said, "I suppose we should get going."  
  
"Wait..." she said. Harry looked at her, a little confused. Hermione sat up, leaned in, and kissed him.  
  
"I love you." He said.   
  
"I can never hear that too often." She replied. "I love you too." She kissed him again.  
  
"I love you." He said again. Hermione laughed.   
  
"I love you too, Harry." She chuckled. "Let's gather our things."  
  
And so, they gathered their things. Hermione grabbed her wand, and Harry grabbed his glasses, though they were a little steamed up. Harry walked over to the shower he had been using and turned off the water. They then got dressed, and walked out of the pitch. They were totally oblivious to the fact that they were out after hours, and not invisible.  
  
The two waked into the castle hand in hand. When they turned the corner, whom should they run into, but Draco Malfoy? But he had his arm draped around Pansy Parkinson.  
  
"Uh...I tell no one, you tell no one, right Potter?" he said. Harry simply nodded. That had to be their shortest confrontation with Malfoy in seven years. So, Harry and Hermione made it back to the common room safely, kissed each other good night, and went to their dorms. That was definitely the best...would you call it a date? Well, it was the best TIME they had ever had together (so far), and they wouldn't forget it.  
  
A.N. Was this a good chapter? I know it was rated R, and it's pretty much my first R fan fic, so tell me how I did. I hope you liked this chapter; I myself didn't so much.   
  
-MuchoSugar 


	9. Happy Christmas to Harry and Ron

CHAPTER NINE  
  
Happy Christmas to Harry and Ron  
  
Christmas was drawing near and Harry was debating with his conscience over what he should get Hermione. A necklace? A bracelet? A ring, perhaps? But all those things might be a little...over the top. Then again, they might be expected. After all, they had been together for about two months...wait, what? Just two months? Look at all they had done already! Maybe things were moving too fast; maybe he should slow them down a bit. Maybe he'd get her... socks? Maybe he should go talk to Hermione. Maybe he should stop using the word maybe.  
  
"Hermione, do you think we're moving to fast? Relationship wise, I mean." He asked her in the library one day.  
  
"Of course not Harry. We were ready for what we did, and we took all the precautions. What's too fast about that?"  
  
"Well, the fact that we had only been dating for one month at the time has something to do with my wondering."  
  
"Oh." She simply stated. "That."  
  
"You've been thinking about it too?"  
  
"A little bit." She replied. "Maybe we ARE moving too fast. We should slow down, like...only holding hands or something." This wasn't what Harry had meant, but if it made Hermione happy, then it made him happy...sort of.  
  
"Are you sure about that? I mean, when we weren't even dating, we kissed, and even before that we were only holding hands."  
  
"When we were...only friends." She put in. This had Harry very confused.  
  
"What are you inquiring?" he asked her.  
  
"Uh...nothing. Nothing at all, Harry." She said, turning a page in her book, even though she hadn't read the page before it.  
  
"You think we should only be friends? Is that what you're saying?" Harry said, raising his voice a little bit.  
  
"Well...I don't know."  
  
"What do you mean, you don't know?!" he shouted.   
  
"Sshh! This is a library!" hissed the librarian, Madam Pince.   
  
"After all that I've done for you..." he put in.  
  
"How dare you make it seem like I owe you something!" Hermione shouted at him.  
  
"Get out of my library! I have no time for this, nor the patience!" yelled Madam Pince. The two grabbed their things and went out opposite doors. At lunchtime, Hermione sat with Parvati and Lavender, while Harry sat with Ron and Astrid.  
  
"What's up with you two?" asked Ron, through a mouthful of food.   
  
"We had an argument is all." Harry mumbled.  
  
"Well, you know, people who really love each other have to get in fights every once in a wile." Said Ron.  
  
"We never get in fights." Said Astrid, with a raised eyebrow.  
  
"We're different than them; they're madly in love with each oth-"  
  
"And we aren't?!" she shouted at him.  
  
"I didn't mean it that way..."  
  
"Oh? And how did you mean it?!" she hollered. Ron had no answer, so she got up ad left.  
  
"See what you've started?" mumbled Ron.  
  
"Oh no, Mate; that was all you." Harry replied. They ate the rest of the meal in silence. "I think Hermione only wants to be friends again." Harry finally said. Ron looked up at him with question in his eyes.  
  
"You're not serious?"   
  
"I am." He replied, dropping his fork on the plate.  
  
"Did she tell you that to her face?"  
  
"Not really, but I'm pretty sure that's what she meant."  
  
"Why would she want that?"  
  
"I don't know."  
  
"Happy Christmas to us, huh?" said Ron.  
  
"Yeah...Happy Christmas to us." Harry mumbled.  
  
Harry knocked on the door of the Head's dormitory. "Hermione? We need to talk." He said through the door.  
  
"Go away!" yelled Hermione.  
  
"You're being so immature! This isn't the Hermione I know." Hermione flung the door open at that.  
  
"Don't you ever, EVER call me immature!" She exclaimed.  
  
"Can we talk now?"   
  
"Make it fast, I've got reading to do." She said, folding her arms across her chest.  
  
"Do you really feel that we should be just friends?" he asked.  
  
"Is that how you feel?"   
  
"Quite frankly, no; that's not how I feel." He replied.  
  
"Well, I have no need to explain myself." And with that, she slammed the door in his face. Harry decided to try back later.  
  
  
  
It was the last day of school before the Christmas Holiday, and Harry Ron and Hermione were in Potions class. Ron was sitting between Harry and Hermione, who had been completely ignoring each other the entire time.  
  
"We still need to talk." Whispered Harry, without looking at her.   
  
"I don't care." She hissed back at him.  
  
"Is there a problem?" asked Snape.  
  
"No professor." The three of them replied in unison.  
  
"Let me remind you, that even if this IS the last day of school before holiday, I won't hesitate to hand out detentions." He said, going back to his lesson.  
  
"Just listen to me for one second-"  
  
"No! Don't you understand that I don't care for anything you have to say?!" she shouted.  
  
"Granger, Potter! You two will have detention tonight. And since you can't seem to get along, you'll be taking it together! Potter, you go sit over on the left side of the room, Granger to the right." He said. And for the second time, he continued the lesson.  
  
A.N.///You like? I hope so! Oh, and don't worry, they won't hate each other forever, but will they get back together? Muahahahahahahahaha! I love doing this to people...  
  
-MuchoSugar 


	10. Detention

CHAPTER TEN  
  
Detention  
  
Hermione glared at Harry as they made their way to Snape's office. Though they didn't say a word to each other, the tension was very strong between them. Why was Hermione acting this way? Hermione was actually starting to wonder the same thing.  
  
"You'll be cleaning out my inventory of supplies tonight as your detention. Potter, you start in the back, and Granger, you start in the front. I'll be back at 11:00 to check on you. Whatever you don't finish tonight, you'll finish tomorrow. Now get to work." He said, leaving the room.  
  
"What is your problem?" asked Harry as soon as Snape was out of hearing range.   
  
"What do you mean by that?" she asked, peering around a shelf at him.  
  
"I mean that as soon as I mentioned the fact that we're moving a little too fast, you come up and say that we should only be friends."  
  
"Oh...That." She replied.  
  
"If you give me a good reason, I'll leave you alone. If you can't answer, well, plan on being without me as a friend until you can come up with one."  
  
"I'm afraid, ok?"  
  
"Afraid of what and why?" he asked.  
  
"You. It was the way you looked at Malfoy, that night we were coming back from the pitch." She said, standing up.  
  
"Like what?"  
  
"Like you were gonna' kill him, and he hadn't even said anything to you yet."  
  
"Hermione, it's nothing new that I glare at him like that. I might look like I wanna' kill him, but I never would."   
  
"I know that...That's not why at all. It was the look on your face. That's the way Viktor stared at me last summer before he..." she trailed off, as if it were painful for her to say.  
  
"Oh...Hermione, you know I would never-"  
  
"I know, and I see that now. I was just mad at myself today. I didn't know how to apologize to you without making myself seem foolish."  
  
"You could never look foolish to me." He said, taking a step closer to her, not really knowing what to do.  
  
"It's ok, Harry. I'm not mad anymore." She said, wrapping her arms around is neck, and staring deep into his eyes. Harry leaned down and kissed her passionately. He loved her so much, and she felt the same way about him.  
  
Just then, Snape walked in. ("What the Devil is going on in here?! Detention is supposed to be a punishment!")   
  
"Professor...um...uh..." Hermione stuttered.  
  
"Get out, I don't want to see you again, not until after vacation. Now go!" he snapped, pointing at the door. Harry and Hermione ran for the door in fear of him hexing them. On their way out, they ran into Malfoy again. Harry sighed and got ready for the unnecessary insults.  
  
"Well, well, welly-welly-well..." he said. Hermione and Harry looked at him like he was insane, but he paid no mind to their glares. "If it isn't the two lovebirds. Gallivanting around the school AGAIN, Potter? Seeing as to how you're such a "brilliant" wizard, I wouldn't expect for you to fall for a Mudbloo-" Harry didn't even let him finish. He punched him in the nose, with all his might. A loud CRACK echoed in the long corridor.  
  
"Never again." Was all Harry said. Malfoy got to his feet and ran towards the infirmary. Harry looked over at Hermione, who had a dumbstruck look on her face. That was the first time anyone had broken one of Malfoy's bones so quickly. "Well Love, suppose we should be heading back." He said, taking her hand.  
  
Hermione shook off her disbelief and walked with him to the corridor, where they both fell asleep on the couch in front of the fireplace.  
  
A.N. Ok so they got back together big deal. It's only Christmas, there's definitely more to come. Was this a good chapter? Let me know.  
  
-MuchoSugar 


	11. The Night Before Christmas

CHAPTER ELEVEN  
  
The Night Before Christmas  
  
Harry walked up the stairs to his dormitory late that night and lay in bed thinking about the events of the day. Things were good between him and Hermione now, which made him very pleased. But something was still bothering him; it was just one week before Christmas Eve and he still had no gift for Hermione.  
  
He pondered many things. It was now almost three months since they had started dating, and Harry was wondering if he should propose. It WAS early in the relationship, with only two and a half months under their belts. But Harry had loved her much longer than that, so it seemed like they had been together for more than just two an a half months. They HAD been friends since they were just eleven years old, and Harry had always wanted it to be more since their fifth year.  
  
A ring would either make her happy, or make her angry. Harry didn't want to risk making her angry again, so he decided against a ring. Harry had always gotten her books in the past, knowing as to how she loved reading so much. But it was different now that they were dating, every gift had to be better and more spectacular than a book.  
  
Harry was beginning to get frustrated. He had to get her something that she had no chance of being mad about, sad about, or in the least bit unhappy about. That meant he couldn't get her anything that might remind her of Krum, or of the fact that they had been fighting. He couldn't get her a book; in fear that she might think he didn't love her enough to get her beautiful things. Harry just couldn't think of any way to make Hermione happy this Christmas. Maybe he'd get her an animal, seeing as to how Crookshanks had died after being pulverized by the Whomping Willow last year.  
  
But no, Harry had a better idea than a book, a pet, or a ring. He'd get her a necklace. A nice necklace. That was as close to a ring as he was getting, so Harry decided on a necklace.  
  
On their next trip to Hogsmead, Harry stepped into a jewelry shop not far from the Shrieking Shack. He looked into the glass cases full of rings, watches, bracelets, earrings, and necklaces, but didn't see anything that interested him.  
  
"Can I help you, Lad?" asked a homely old woman behind the counter.  
  
"Yes...what do you get a girl that you've known practically your whole life, but just recently started dating?" he said quickly. The woman raised an eyebrow and looked into the case he was staring into.  
  
"Don't get her diamonds." She said simply, and went back doing whatever it was she was doing before. Harry took her advice and stepped over to the case with the other precious jewels in them. There were Sapphires, Rubies, Pearls, Opals, and Emeralds. It was the Emeralds that caught his eye. There was a set of earrings, a necklace, and a matching bracelet, made entirely out of the green stones. There was only one problem; the set cost $400.00 in Sickles.   
  
"Ma'am, is there a way-"  
  
"The prices are non-negotiable." She said.  
  
"How many Sickles is that then?" he said, pointing at the set of Emeralds.  
  
"Oh, I'd say about...seventy." She said. Harry sighed, and got the coins. The woman raised her eyebrow again.  
  
"Where's a young lad like you get money like that?" she asked, taking the coins.  
  
"Inheritance." was all he said. The woman asked no more questions as she took the Emeralds out of the case and putting them in the bag. "Thank you." He said, walking out of the store.   
  
Harry got back to the common room only to see that Hermione was sitting at a table in the corner studying.  
  
"Hermione? What are you studying for?" he said, sitting down in the chair next to hers.   
  
"Finals." Was all she said as she turned the page.  
  
"Hermione... finals are in May..." he said to her with a questioning look on his face.  
  
"That's just it Harry, there're only about five months until finals, and last year I wasn't prepared at all-"  
  
"The hell you weren't, you only missed one question!" he exclaimed.  
  
"I want to get a perfect score, Harry! This year I have to go out with a BANG!" (Emphasis on the "BANG") she said, turning the page so violently that it ripped. "Damn!" she shouted.  
  
"Hermione, just calm down! This is vacation, study in January, that'll still give you a good four-and-a-half months." He said, cupping her face in his hand. Hermione let out a sigh.  
  
"You're right, Harry. Why study now? Vacation's supposed to be fun, not stressful. Thanks." She said, kissing him on the cheek.  
  
"Oh, is that all I get for saving your vacation from you?" he asked playfully.  
  
"The way you're acting, yes." She said, closing the book.  
  
"Oh? And just how am I acting."  
  
"Like a sex-crazed seventeen year old boy." (Ok, so he isn't a boy, he's a man, but he's acting like a boy, so it seemed appropriate) she replied.  
  
"Boy? You know very well, Miss Granger, that I am NO boy." He said.  
  
"Ah, I had almost forgotten." She said, getting up from her chair. Harry looked up at her from where he was sitting. She was so beautiful, especially in the dying light of the fire.  
  
Just then, Ron and Astrid burst through the portrait whole, trying to catch their breath.  
  
"Aye, where have you two been?" said Hermione.  
  
"Uh..."  
  
"Midnight sn-snack." Said Astrid.  
  
"Yeah, heheh, a snack." Ron said. Harry raised an eyebrow, then gave Ron a look that said, 'We are in the middle of something, so leave us alone.' Ron got the hint, and told Astrid that they should get to wrapping presents. Astrid agreed and retreated to the seventh year boys' dorm. Wrapping presents indeed...  
  
Hermione looked down at Harry with a mischievous look in her eye. She was just about to lean down and kiss him when the clock stuck twelve (A.M.).   
  
"We should get to bed, after all, it's Christmas now, we don't want to be tired tomorrow." She whispered, her ace inches from his.  
  
"Yeah...goodnight kiss?" he asked, with a mock pout. Hermione just nodded and kissed him. Harry stood up and wrapped his arms around her waist, and she put hers' around his neck. When they broke apart, they were out of breath. "Wow." Said Harry.  
  
"Yeah." She said, staring deep into his eyes. "We really should get to bed...before we-"  
  
"I agree." He said, cutting her off. They went up into their dormitories, put on their pajamas and went to sleep. 


	12. Christmas

CHAPTER TWELVE  
  
Christmas  
  
Hermione woke up to find the familiar Christmas presents at the foot of her bed. She smiled and went to open them. The first one she unwrapped was the yearly sweater from Mrs. Weasley; it was canary yellow with a dark blue "H" on it. She still had one just like it from last year, but slipped it on over her pajamas anyway.   
  
The next one was a cage with a cover over it. Hermione lifted the cover and saw an adorable orange kitten. She smiled at the small sleeping creature and put the cover back over the top of the cage so the light didn't bother him. She looked at the tag and saw that the present was from Hagrid. She smiled once more and moved on to the next gift.  
  
She opened the box and saw the one book she DIDN'T have: a Pocket Dictionary of Spells and Their Uses. Hermione chuckled as she realized that it was from Ron. The card read, "I searched everywhere for this, and found just one copy of the only book in the entire universe that Miss Hermione Granger did NOT have. So, here you go, your collection is complete. Happy Christmas!"  
  
She opened a box full of sugar free cookies from her parents, and took a bite out of one. She then opened all the presents from the other two girls that used to be in her dorm had given her, and Ginny. (A scarf from Sweden, not-quite-sugar-free cookies, and some cosmetics). There was just one present left, the present from Harry.   
  
The box Harry's present came in was smaller than the rest, but not tiny, like a box for a ring. Hermione took a deep breath, tore off the paper, opened the box, and gasped; the Emeralds were absolutely BEAUTIFUL. Hermione felt the tears come to her eyes as she put on the necklace. Harry was the best.  
  
Harry opened his presents; getting the usual sweater from Mrs. Weasley, candy from Ron, exotic thing from Hagrid, and pair of socks from the Dursleys. When he reached Hermione's gift, he found something that confused him.   
  
There were two wands in the box, a little chipped, but other wise very well preserved. Hermione's note read, "A piece of your past comes to your present. Happy Christmas, Harry!" Though Harry didn't understand what the wands had to do with his past, he treated them as if they were the most beautiful things on Earth.   
  
"So, what'd you think of your present?" asked Harry when he saw Hermione in the common room. Hermione didn't even answer, just ran up to him and gave him the most passionate kiss imaginable. Harry returned the kiss, and didn't care who was watching. When they broke apart, Harry said, "That good, huh?" this made Hermione chuckle.  
  
"And just what did you think of your presents?" she said quietly.  
  
"Oh, they're great. What are they?" he replied.  
  
"You didn't understand the note." She said.  
  
"Not really, I just don't understand how two beat up old wands-" then he understood. "How'd you-"  
  
"They were in a museum in Bulgaria, they had them on display. I got them to give them to me because I told them that you deserve to have them." She said. Harry plopped down on the couch in shock.  
  
"How'd Bulgaria get my parents' wands?" he asked.  
  
"I don't know, Harry. But I saw them, and just HAD to get them for you. Besides the invisibility cloak, they're the only things you might have left to remember them by-" just then, Harry hugged her. He loved her so much.   
  
"Thank you, Hermione. This is the best Christmas ever." He said.   
  
"You're welcome Harry. Happy Christmas." They just sat like that for a while, hugging one another, thanking God for every day that they had together.   
  
Just then, an owl dropped in through an open window and dropped a copy of the Dailey Prophet on the table in front of the fireplace. Since they were the only two not at breakfast, it seemed only natural to go and get the paper. Harry stood and walked over to the table, reading the front page.  
  
"Oh God." He said.  
  
"What? What's the matter?" Hermione asked Him.  
  
"Happy Christmas to me." He retorted, handing her the paper. The headline read, "THE DARK LORD STRIKES AGAIN" and the story was on five innocent wizards that had lost their lives the night before, fighting against the power of Voldemort. One part even said, "It's only a matter of time before he goes to Hogwarts and gets Potter once and for all." The quote was from none other than Draco Malfoy.  
  
"Harry..."  
  
"He's been getting worse since our fifth year."  
  
"I know Harry, but-"  
  
"It's fine...I-I've fought him plenty of times before, I mean, I defeated him when I was just one year old, now I'm seventeen."  
  
"You're scared, aren't you?" she said in a soft voice.  
  
"Of course."   
  
A.N. You like? I hope so! 


	13. Disaster

CHAPTER THIRTEEN  
  
Beautiful Disaster  
  
It was now a month since the article had gone out, and there hadn't been a sighting of Voldemort since. There was still very high security, especially near the Gryffindor common room. But, never the less, classes and the occasional Quidditch game continued on a regular basis.  
  
"How can I be so scared of someone I've defeated so many times?" said Harry one day at lunch.  
  
"Maybe because most of the time you fought him before, he didn't have full power. Don't beat yourself up about it." Said Ron.  
  
"Can't help it, I just-"  
  
"All students report to the dormitories immediately!" shouted a very flustered Professor McGonagall. Without question, the students went quickly to their dorms.  
  
"You don't think..." said Hermione when they were safe inside the common room.  
  
"I do." Said Harry.  
  
"But, there's a lock on the portrait now, he can't get in very easily."  
  
"Locks haven't been a problem in the past."   
  
"Oh, God." Was all Ron kept on saying, as he paced around the room.  
  
"I'm scared, Harry." Hermione said.  
  
"So am I."  
  
All the students were ordered to sleep in their common rooms that night (girls on the left, boys on the right), in order to make it harder for Voldemort to pick out one particular student. Harry Potter.   
  
"Goodnight, Harry." said Hermione, kissing him goodnight.  
  
"Goodnight." And with that, they went to their cots, or couches, or what ever they had to sleep on, and went to sleep.  
  
It was around 6:00 AM that there was a loud bang outside the Gryffindor common room. Harry was ready for that, so he gathered Himself, Hermione, Ron, Astrid, and Ginny under it. It was difficult for three seventeen year olds and two sixteen year olds to fit underneath one cloak, but they managed. The five covered their eyes and listened as their friends and classmates screamed and searched for a place to hide. Amongst all the clatter, they heard a booming voice shout, "Where is he?! Where is Harry Potter?!"  
  
"Honestly, we don't know!" shouted the quavering voice of Professor McGonagall.  
  
"Don't lie, woman. We know that you know where he is. Now tell us!" shouted the voice of Lucious Malfoy.   
  
"Honestly, Lucious, we don't know! Now let the students be!" shouted Snape.  
  
"Ah, words from a traitor." Said the hissing voice of Voldemort. "I should murder you now, Severus. But no, I'll spare you, no fear."   
  
"Leave my students alone! They never did a thing to you!" shouted McGonagall.   
  
"Silence, woman! We have no patients for you." He said. "Wormtail, my wand, please."   
  
"Y-Yes, M-My Lord."  
  
"Crucio!" shouted Voldemort. The five under the cloak had no idea who was screaming, but all they knew was that someone was in pain. It seemed to be a younger student.  
  
"Hmm, missed." Said Voldemort, apparently not caring in the least.  
  
"Leave them be!" McGonagall practically screamed.  
  
"Come Wormtail, Malfoy. We're through here." He said, and with that, they left. The screaming continued for a while, and then stopped. It had apparently subsided.  
  
"Potter? Potter, where are you?" said the shaky voice of Madam Pompfry. Harry and the other four climbed out from under the cloak. They looked around the room and saw that it was apparently Lavender Brown who had been cursed. She was sobbing while three teachers helped to put her on a stretcher to go to the Hospital Wing.   
  
"Will she be alright?" asked Harry, feeling a little responsible.  
  
"In a few days...are you alright?" she said to him.  
  
"I'm fine, thanks."  
  
"This is a disaster." Muttered Snape, obviously disgusted. "That girl was innocent, if Potter hadn't of been a coward and hid-"  
  
"Then we would've lost a student." Professor Dumbledor put in. "Everyone, to your dorms. Mr. Potter, we need to talk." Said Dumbledor, dismissing the students and staff.  
  
"I'm sorry, Professor. I was just trying-"  
  
"To stay safe? That's understandable, Harry. And you did it in an unselfish way by taking the ones you love to safety as well. Job well done." He said, walking out of the room. Harry pondered what he had just heard. He was actually too tired and shocked to think of anything, so he just went up to bed. He fell asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow. 


	14. NEWT's, Graduation, and Goodbyes

CHAPTER FOURTEEN  
  
Months Past   
  
  
  
It was now the end of May, and the students were frantically studying for finals (N.E.W.T.'s for the 7th years), which were in less than three days. There hadn't been a sighting of Voldemort since the headline story in December, so finals were decidedly not cancelled. Hermione was the only one not panicking, of course, for she had already studied earlier that year.   
  
On the day of testing, Harry and Ron woke up early for some last minute cramming, while Hermione slept peacefully up in her dorm. When she finally did come down to go to breakfast, the two were asleep on top of their Transfiguration Books. She snapped her fingers and the two woke instantly.  
  
"Horse feathers! Oh, um...hello there Hermione..." said Ron, his ears turning red.  
  
"You two should go get some breakfast, it'll help you think." She said, grabbing Harry's hand and practically dragging him to the Great Hall. Ron followed close behind, and the three sat down at the table together. With only three days left of school, Hermione was getting a little pushy.  
  
Everyone ate quickly and went off to their first period classes. The N.E.W.T. for Transfiguration was crucial, and tough, even for Hermione.  
  
At lunch, the three sat back down, but were too tired to eat. Well, two of them were at least.  
  
"I'll see you two after fifth period, ok?" said Hermione, hopping up from the table. The two boys ate silently, and then went off to Divinations.   
  
By dinnertime, even Hermione's mind was boggled, and the three were glad that the day was over. The day after tomorrow was graduation, and their last day at Hogwarts.  
  
The next day was a Saturday, so they went for a walk down by the lake, joined by Astrid.  
  
"I'm gonna' miss you guys." Grumbled Astrid, whom they had forgotten was only in her sixth year.  
  
"We'll miss you, too." They said, almost in unison.  
  
On the day of graduation, the seventh years, their families, and the teachers, filed into the Great Hall (after supper, when all of the other students had already returned home) to begin the ceremony.   
  
"When I call your name, step forward. You will receive your certificates AFTER the ceremony." Said Professor McGonagall. "But first, a word from our Valedictorian, Hermione Granger." The room burst into applause as Hermione stepped up to the podium; this was just like Harry had seen in a movie once at the Dursleys'.  
  
"In our seven years here at Hogwarts, we have seen wars, death, games, pranks, love, and most importantly; friendship. This school has taught us not only magic, but also understanding. Understanding of how students can sometimes make more of a difference than the teachers, and that the teachers know what's best, though we didn't know it at the time.   
  
We learned how to laugh here, and we learned how to cry here. Hogwarts has been our home for almost half of our lives now, and some won't leave it as easily as they thought, I know I won't. We grew up here, we matured here, and-if I may say so myself- had some pretty good times here.   
  
Hogwarts was an experience that I, nor many of my schoolmates, will ever forget." And with that, she stepped down and returned to here seat. The room, once again, burst into applause.  
  
"Once again, when I call your name, step forward." Said McGonagall, her voice a little shaky. "Hannah Abbot... Susan Bones... Terry Boot... Millicent Bulstrode... Vincent Crabbe... Justin Finch-Fletchley... Seamus Finnigan... Hermione Granger... Gregory Goyle... Neville Longbottom... Draco Malfoy... Morag McDougle... Pansy Parkinson... Padma Patil... Parvati Patil... Sally-Anne Perks... Harry Potter...Lisa Turpin...Ronald Weasley...and Blaise Zabini (A.N.///Sorry if I missed any names!). Congratulations, all of you! You've made it!" she said, bursting into tears.  
  
The people in the Great Hall were still cheering, even as the students were leaving the stage to go meet up with their families. Harry searched the crowd, as if expecting to see the Dursleys, or even a big black dog. But there was neither.   
  
He finally went to join Ron's family.  
  
"Harry, dear! Congratulations! Do you happen to have anywhere to stay this summer?" asked Mrs. Weasley right off the bat.  
  
"Not right now, no." he replied, shaking his head. He was now a good foot taller than her, as was Ron.  
  
"Well, you're welcome to stay with us as long as it takes you to find a place." She said, patting him on the shoulder.  
  
"Thank you...I'll be right back." He said, making his way towards Hagrid. Hagrid spotted him, and pulled him into a gigantic hug. Hagrid was STILL taller than Harry by far.  
  
"Don't let this be the last time I see yeh, Harry, understand?"  
  
"Not a chance Hagrid." said Harry, smiling up at him. Hagrid smiled back, and then saw Hermione coming towards them.   
  
"Tell the same to Hermione, I've got to be going." He said, patting Harry on the back. "Good luck, Lad." And with that he walked away.  
  
"Well, we made it!" Hermione exclaimed, hugging him tightly. "What now?" she said briskly.   
  
"Don't know, Love. I just don't know."  
  
A.N.///Well, that's the end of this story. Should I write a sequel?   
  
-MS 


End file.
